Musical instrument



H J HANSEN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 459,932 Patented Sept. 22, 1891.

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i .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS J. HANSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,932, datedSeptember 22, 1891.

Application filed February 3, 1891. Serial No. 379.962. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HANS J. HANsEN, a citiaen of the United States,residing at Chicago, 1n the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings,which are made a part hereof, and in which Figure1 is aplan View of a harp-guitar embodying the invention. Figs. 2 and 3are respectively a side elevation and a plan view of the head on alarger scale. Fig. 4: is a plan view of the bridge on a larger scale.Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the head on a larger scale; and Fig. 6is transverse section of the bridge on the line 6 6, Fig. A.

The present invention consists in certain features of novelty that areparticularly pointed out in the claims hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the head; 13, the neck, havingthe finger-board on the top side thereof; 0, the sounding-board; D, thebridge, and E the siX strings customarily used on guitars. In order toattach the strings to the body of the guitar, it has heretofore been thepractice to form key hole openings through the bridge from top to bottomand corresponding openings through the soundingboard. Through theseopenings the knotted ends of the strings are passed, and round pins areinserted for. holding the strings in the niches provided for them. Thereare many objections to this arrangement, among which may be mentionedthe following: It is not possible to keep the pins absolutely tight, andconsequently they cause a jingling sound that very much impairs theclearness of the tone. If it is attempted to force the pins in tightenough to prevent this jingling, the bridge, and even the soundingboard,is frequently split. Jingling is also caused by the contact of the looseends of the strings with the under side of the soundingboard, and theseends, the knots tiedin them, and the ends of the pins projecting intothe interior of the instrument break up the sound-waves, and therebystill further impair the tone of the instrument. A break in thecontinuity of the soundingboard will also impair the tone, and hence itis desirable that all of these things be avoided. To avoid them is oneof the objects of my present invention, according to which the bridge isconstructed of a strip of wood (I, which is flat on its under side andglued to the top of the sounding-board, the latter beingwithoutperforations. In the top side of this strip, near its front edge,is a longitudinal groove, in which is secured the customary strip (1, ofbone, pearl, metal, or other material, upon which the strings rest..lored through this strip from front to rearare a nuinberof holes (Z(one for each of the strings of the instrument,) and at the front end ofeach of these holes is a counterbore (Z To secure the strings they arepassed through the holes provided for them, respectively, and knots tiedin their ends to prevent their withdrawal, the purpose of thecounterbores being to receive and conceal the knots. In order to avoidangles over which the strings have to be bent abruptly, the rear side oredge of the strip (Z is rounded off, as at d, so that the top of thestrip and the top sides of the holes (Z are united by a curved surface.In the drawings this portion (1 is shown constructed on an arc of acircle; but it is sufficient for practical purposes if the contour besimply without sharp angles. Another objection to the use of pins forretaining the strings in place is that their heads interfere materiallywith the movement of the hand in fingering. This and all of the otherobjections above enumerated are obviated by constructing the bridge andsecuring the strings as above described, and shown in the drawings.

The remaining features of the invention relate to the harp attachment,or the means for providing from one to six or more additional strings.To this end I secure to the side of the head proper A an extension A ofsufficient size to receive the number of pins F necessaryit'or theadditional strings it is desired to provide. In the drawings I haveshown four additional strings E; but this number is purely arbitrary,and either a greater or a less number may be used without departing fromthe spirit of my invention. The head proper A forms the customary anglewith the neck 13, so that the strings E span the space between thestring-rests d and G. The string-rests G of the extension A is fartheraway from the body of the instrnment than the rest G of the head A, andhence in order to bring all of the strings E and E in the same plane itis necessary that the extension A occupy a plane somewhat above theplane of the head proper A.- For this reason the head and extension areunited by an offset a of such height that the rests G and G are inthe'same plane, while the head and extension are in different planes,the latter being slightly above the former. It is possible to soconstruct this extension that it will require no support other than whatit receives through the offset a; but in order to prevent thepossibility of the necks being twisted by the constant strain of thestrings E, I prefer to place between the extension and the body of theinstrument a support II, consisting of a rod of wood suitably secured atits respective ends to said extension and body. Preferably it has anextension h, which is secured to the top of the sounding-board, andbeneath this extension a tenon which is let into the body of theinstrumentin a manner similar to that in which the neck islet in, ablock of wood being glued to the inside of the body for giving it thenecessary strength at the point of attachment. For the sake ofconvenience in fingering it is desirable to have all the strings auniform distance apart near the bridge, and hence all the holes (Z ofall the strings (both E and E) are a uniform distance apart; but at thesame time it is necessary that along the neck of the instrument asufficient space X be left between the strings E and the strings E topermit the thumb of the left hand to move freely along the side of thefingerboard without coming in contact with any of the strings. The pin Fof the last one of the strings E is therefore set out sufficiently farto provide the necessary space. Thus the strings E and E diverge towardthe head, the support H being parallel to the strin gs E.

In the drawings I have shown the head proper A and the extension thereofA formed of separate pieces of wood secured together; but it is obviousthat they may be form ed in one without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A bridge for musical instruments, hav ing a suitable string-rest onits top side, holes for the strings extending through it from the rear,and a surface without sharp angles unitin g its top surface and theholes, substantially as set forth.

2. A bridge for musical instruments, having a suitable string-rest onits top side, the

' holes d extending through it from the rear,

and the rounded rear edge d, providing a curved surface uniting the topsurface of the bridge with said holes, substantially as set forth.

a. In a musical instrument, the combination,with a sounding-board, of abridge secured thereto and having holes extending through it from therear, and a surface without sharp angles uniting said holes with the topof the bridge, and the strings E, resting upon the top of said bridge,doubled upon themselves and passed through said holes, bearing upon theaforesaid surface that unites the top of the bridge and the holes,substantially as set forth.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination, with the body and the neckjoined centrally thereto, of a head having an extension at the sidethereof, and strings secured to the body and to said head and extension,substantially as set forth.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination, with the body and the neckjoined centrally thereto, of the head having an extension at the sidethereof, the customary strings secured to the body, extending along theneck and secured to the head proper, one or more additional stringssecured to the body and to the extension, and a support extending fromsaid extension to the body, substantially as set forth.

6. In a musical instrument, the combination, with the body, the neck,and the head A, having the extension A, of the diverging strings E andE, secured to the body at uniform distances apart and to the head A andextension A, respectively, with sufficient space between the two sets toadmit the operators fingers, substantially as set forth.

7. In a musical instrument, the combination, with the body and the neck,of the inclined head A, having the extension A and offset a, and thestrings E and E, secured to the body of the instrument and to the head Aand extension A, respectively, substantially as set forth.

S. In a musical instrument, the combination, with the body and neck, ofthe inclined head proper A and extension A, having string-rests G and G,respectively, located at different distances from the body of theinstrument, the offset a, uniting said head and extension, and thestrings E and E, secured to the body and to the head and extension,respectively, substantially as set forth.

9. In a musical instrument, the combination, with the body and the neck,of the head A, united to the neck at an angle, the extension A, unitedto head A by an offset a, said head and extension occupying differentplanes, the string-rests G and G, secured to the parts A and A,respectively, and the keys for the attachment of the strings,substantially as set forth.

HANS .I. HANSEN.

Witnesses:

L. M. Ilorxnxs, J. I'IALPENNY.

IOC

